My quick thoughts: I thought in this format (QB flex), there was a pretty clear top 7 and they all went before my pick. All those guys in the top 7 are very talented, still have a ton of football left to play and are in good offensive situations.

Unfortunately, I was stuck at 8 and couldn't find a reasonable trade up deal. Which led to me making the biggest reach in the round grabbing Trent Richardson. I thought long and hard about Brees, but in the end thought the scoring format (1 for 25 passing, 4 pt. TD) and Brees' age made RB the better value. Unfortunately, after the top 3 RBs, I felt like it was wide open and went back and forth in my mind on who to take. CJ looked bad last year. MJD, ADP, Run DMC and Jamaal Charles all have injury concerns that scared me away from them this early. Ryan Matthews was a strong consideration but I'm not completely sold on him as an elite talent and Tolbert may be back in FA to share carries and vulture TDs. The one RB I felt most comfortable with and came very, very close to drafting was Matt Forte. Still pretty young. True workhorse back. Durable and no real injury issues going forward. However, the combo of new offensive coaching staff (will he still get a ton of catches with Tice as OC?) and his talk of possibly holding out next year (another CJ situation?) was just enough for me to decide to go with Richardson.

Admittedly, it was a huge gamble to take Richardson. He could end up on any team and possibly even a timeshare on a bad offense (Tampa worst case?). He could end up being a bust. He could be overrated due to the awesome Bama OL. But I tend to lean towards talent and youth early in dynasty drafts and I believe in his talent and felt like with a bunch of other somewhat risky RB options, I could make the gamble. I hope he ends up in that Cleveland offense that made a mediocre talent like Hillis into a fantasy star.

Hopefully we'll get through the 2nd round this afternoon and if anyone is interested, I can post that as well. (I already feel like I made a big mistake in the 2nd round...)

I'd love to see that 2nd round...and taking Richardson there is ballsy as hell, but this is coming from a guy who has traded Nicks for the 1.01 in one league, and Forte for it in another....so I understand the thought behind it.

When your opinion matters, I'll inform you.

Hahaha, read my posts bro. I'm one of the smarter Fantasy Player on these boards.

Pretty ridiculous that anyone in any league worth their salt would be drafting already. Too much unknown like this thing called the NFL draft. At the very earliest start up drafts should be starting in May.

Pretty ridiculous that anyone in any league worth their salt would be drafting already. Too much unknown like this thing called the NFL draft. At the very earliest start up drafts should be starting in May.

The unknown is the exact reason it's fun to draft early. Once it's all spelled out then any joe schmo can draft well.

Pretty ridiculous that anyone in any league worth their salt would be drafting already. Too much unknown like this thing called the NFL draft. At the very earliest start up drafts should be starting in May.

The unknown is the exact reason it's fun to draft early. Once it's all spelled out then any joe schmo can draft well.

I don't care how smart anyone thinks they are, drafting before free agency and the draft is dumb. Free agency and the draft is completely a mystery to everyone, and no one can predict either with anything close to accuracy.

Pretty ridiculous that anyone in any league worth their salt would be drafting already. Too much unknown like this thing called the NFL draft. At the very earliest start up drafts should be starting in May.

The unknown is the exact reason it's fun to draft early. Once it's all spelled out then any joe schmo can draft well.

I don't care how smart anyone thinks they are, drafting before free agency and the draft is dumb. Free agency and the draft is completely a mystery to everyone, and no one can predict either with anything close to accuracy.

might be dumb to you, but not for others...i love drafting early in the year, precombine...

My quick thoughts: I thought in this format (QB flex), there was a pretty clear top 7 and they all went before my pick. All those guys in the top 7 are very talented, still have a ton of football left to play and are in good offensive situations.

Unfortunately, I was stuck at 8 and couldn't find a reasonable trade up deal. Which led to me making the biggest reach in the round grabbing Trent Richardson. I thought long and hard about Brees, but in the end thought the scoring format (1 for 25 passing, 4 pt. TD) and Brees' age made RB the better value. Unfortunately, after the top 3 RBs, I felt like it was wide open and went back and forth in my mind on who to take. CJ looked bad last year. MJD, ADP, Run DMC and Jamaal Charles all have injury concerns that scared me away from them this early. Ryan Matthews was a strong consideration but I'm not completely sold on him as an elite talent and Tolbert may be back in FA to share carries and vulture TDs. The one RB I felt most comfortable with and came very, very close to drafting was Matt Forte. Still pretty young. True workhorse back. Durable and no real injury issues going forward. However, the combo of new offensive coaching staff (will he still get a ton of catches with Tice as OC?) and his talk of possibly holding out next year (another CJ situation?) was just enough for me to decide to go with Richardson.

Admittedly, it was a huge gamble to take Richardson. He could end up on any team and possibly even a timeshare on a bad offense (Tampa worst case?). He could end up being a bust. He could be overrated due to the awesome Bama OL. But I tend to lean towards talent and youth early in dynasty drafts and I believe in his talent and felt like with a bunch of other somewhat risky RB options, I could make the gamble. I hope he ends up in that Cleveland offense that made a mediocre talent like Hillis into a fantasy star.

Hopefully we'll get through the 2nd round this afternoon and if anyone is interested, I can post that as well. (I already feel like I made a big mistake in the 2nd round...)

Pretty ridiculous that anyone in any league worth their salt would be drafting already. Too much unknown like this thing called the NFL draft. At the very earliest start up drafts should be starting in May.

The unknown is the exact reason it's fun to draft early. Once it's all spelled out then any joe schmo can draft well.

I don't care how smart anyone thinks they are, drafting before free agency and the draft is dumb. Free agency and the draft is completely a mystery to everyone, and no one can predict either with anything close to accuracy.

might be dumb to you, but not for others...i love drafting early in the year, precombine...

I can see both sides, and I am of the opinion that even the pros making the selections are little better than a crapshoot, and that's only in the 1st round. I think the earlier the rookie draft, the more it favors the well prepared, well educated and even more the college football fans. I agree that there becomes a concensus top 6-8 in most years come summer. Anybody can follow that list and throw darts at the 2nd/3rd round.

"Waiting periods are only a step. Registration is only a step. The prohibition of private firearms is the goal.Janet Reno, former US Attorney General, 1993

Pretty ridiculous that anyone in any league worth their salt would be drafting already. Too much unknown like this thing called the NFL draft. At the very earliest start up drafts should be starting in May.

The unknown is the exact reason it's fun to draft early. Once it's all spelled out then any joe schmo can draft well.

I don't care how smart anyone thinks they are, drafting before free agency and the draft is dumb. Free agency and the draft is completely a mystery to everyone, and no one can predict either with anything close to accuracy.

might be dumb to you, but not for others...i love drafting early in the year, precombine...

I can see both sides, and I am of the opinion that even the pros making the selections are little better than a crapshoot, and that's only in the 1st round. I think the earlier the rookie draft, the more it favors the well prepared, well educated and even more the college football fans. I agree that there becomes a concensus top 6-8 in most years come summer. Anybody can follow that list and throw darts at the 2nd/3rd round.

I can't argue that its not a little silly to draft this early, but its also kind of fun. As others have mentioned, there are a ton of dynasty ranking out later summer and everyone is kind of following the same scripts. This early, a lot of it comes down to scouting of college guys, educated guesses about how the draft and FA play out, etc.
I personally thought it would be a real challenge which makes it fun to me. Plus, its a $55 league, not huge money or anything, just something fun to do when the weather is crappy.

Also, here is round 2:
13. AJ Green
14. Matt Forte
15. Julio Jones
16. Hakeem Nicks
17. Jimmy Graham
18. Rob Gronkowski
19. Andre Johnson
20. Tom Brady
21. Adrian Peterson
22. Justin Blackmon
23. Dez Bryant
24. Jamaal Charles
My personal thoughts: A real emphasis on youth for most drafters this round with some great WRs in their early 30s (Roddy, Welker, etc.) falling a bit further than maybe expected. Also, despite the QB flex, I think the age of guys like Brady, Romo, Vick, Eli, Rivers, etc. (all in their 30s) caused them to fall, though not really unexpected.
I traded down from 17 to 24 with the hope that either Graham or Gronk would fall to me there. I had both guys rated top 15 but felt a little weird taking them over ADP, Brady, etc. and for some reason assumed one of the 2 would fall to the end of the 2nd. Was kicking myself when both went right away and I missed out on them. Getting 19-20 points per game out of your TE is such a huge advantage and both guys are so young and talented. That left me at 24 deciding primarily between two injured RBs, Jamaal Charles and DMC. I went with Charles because foot injuries scare me. I love DMC's talent, but there's just so much risk there.
I think most of the guys in the league are regulars here at FBG and so I'll try not to discuss any players not yet drafted. Hopefully they don't mind me posting this stuff here. It makes for some interesting discussion at least and might be a little bit helpful at least as a starting point for people starting to put ADP dynasty together. Obviously a ton will change and we'll look back in August as some picks as steals and some massive reaches, but ya gotta start somewhere.
One last note: Thanks to all the FBGers who put dynasty rankings out in the past few weeks. I've made my own but used some of the rankings by guys here as a starting point (I actually stumbled upon this "post your dynasty startup" topic when searching for dynasty info/rankings yesterday).

My quick thoughts: I thought in this format (QB flex), there was a pretty clear top 7 and they all went before my pick. All those guys in the top 7 are very talented, still have a ton of football left to play and are in good offensive situations.

Unfortunately, I was stuck at 8 and couldn't find a reasonable trade up deal. Which led to me making the biggest reach in the round grabbing Trent Richardson. I thought long and hard about Brees, but in the end thought the scoring format (1 for 25 passing, 4 pt. TD) and Brees' age made RB the better value. Unfortunately, after the top 3 RBs, I felt like it was wide open and went back and forth in my mind on who to take. CJ looked bad last year. MJD, ADP, Run DMC and Jamaal Charles all have injury concerns that scared me away from them this early. Ryan Matthews was a strong consideration but I'm not completely sold on him as an elite talent and Tolbert may be back in FA to share carries and vulture TDs. The one RB I felt most comfortable with and came very, very close to drafting was Matt Forte. Still pretty young. True workhorse back. Durable and no real injury issues going forward. However, the combo of new offensive coaching staff (will he still get a ton of catches with Tice as OC?) and his talk of possibly holding out next year (another CJ situation?) was just enough for me to decide to go with Richardson.

Admittedly, it was a huge gamble to take Richardson. He could end up on any team and possibly even a timeshare on a bad offense (Tampa worst case?). He could end up being a bust. He could be overrated due to the awesome Bama OL. But I tend to lean towards talent and youth early in dynasty drafts and I believe in his talent and felt like with a bunch of other somewhat risky RB options, I could make the gamble. I hope he ends up in that Cleveland offense that made a mediocre talent like Hillis into a fantasy star.

Hopefully we'll get through the 2nd round this afternoon and if anyone is interested, I can post that as well. (I already feel like I made a big mistake in the 2nd round...)

Wow! This was my EXACT top 10, in order. I even had Brees ahead of Richardson but decided last minute that taking Richardson allowed me more options and flexibility later in the draft, so I took him even though he was lower on my board.

Pretty ridiculous that anyone in any league worth their salt would be drafting already. Too much unknown like this thing called the NFL draft. At the very earliest start up drafts should be starting in May.

The unknown is the exact reason it's fun to draft early. Once it's all spelled out then any joe schmo can draft well.

I don't care how smart anyone thinks they are, drafting before free agency and the draft is dumb. Free agency and the draft is completely a mystery to everyone, and no one can predict either with anything close to accuracy.

It's not "dumb" to draft earlier, it's just a different kind of draft with less information available on the players.

Pretty ridiculous that anyone in any league worth their salt would be drafting already. Too much unknown like this thing called the NFL draft. At the very earliest start up drafts should be starting in May.

The unknown is the exact reason it's fun to draft early. Once it's all spelled out then any joe schmo can draft well.

I don't care how smart anyone thinks they are, drafting before free agency and the draft is dumb. Free agency and the draft is completely a mystery to everyone, and no one can predict either with anything close to accuracy.

It's not "dumb" to draft earlier, it's just a different kind of draft with less information available on the players.

Fair enough. 'Dumb' is a bit harsh.

I look at it this way: In a redraft, in August, after everyone has ALL the info, and any schmo can supposedly draft a good team, we all still don't know as much as we think we do, and make mistakes. And that's after we know where the rookies went, and the free agents went. A dynasty draft? Where mistakes follow you for years? And you are going to pick players with no idea where they are going? I don't see the upside.

You are actually increasing the luck factor, not diminishing it. The smarter FF player, which we all think we are, is at a disadvantage right now, because we don't know where any player is going to be. Vincent Jackson? Michael Bush? People think they have a clue where to slot these guys? Educated guess? Ha! What 'educated'? Where would Sidney Rice have gone last January, when no one knew where he was going, vs. August, when we knew it was going to be Tarvaris throwing him the ball. There was no inkling that he was thinking about Seattle, there was no info for the 'better, smarter' owner to know. You were drafting a guy, in dynasty, and hoping he'd go to a good situation.

Anyone thinking they have an advantage over anyone in January, because they have more of a handle on the way things are shaping up next year, is dramatically overestimating their skills.

And there's a simple way to prove it. Post your predictions for where the free agent and rookie skill guys wind up, that change teams. Not even their numbers, just their team, next season. Leaving out players that re-sign, no one would hit 10% accuracy. Guaranteed.

I look at it this way: In a redraft, in August, after everyone has ALL the info, and any schmo can supposedly draft a good team, we all still don't know as much as we think we do, and make mistakes. And that's after we know where the rookies went, and the free agents went. A dynasty draft? Where mistakes follow you for years? And you are going to pick players with no idea where they are going? I don't see the upside.

You are actually increasing the luck factor, not diminishing it. The smarter FF player, which we all think we are, is at a disadvantage right now, because we don't know where any player is going to be. Vincent Jackson? Michael Bush? People think they have a clue where to slot these guys? Educated guess? Ha! What 'educated'? Where would Sidney Rice have gone last January, when no one knew where he was going, vs. August, when we knew it was going to be Tarvaris throwing him the ball. There was no inkling that he was thinking about Seattle, there was no info for the 'better, smarter' owner to know. You were drafting a guy, in dynasty, and hoping he'd go to a good situation.

Anyone thinking they have an advantage over anyone in January, because they have more of a handle on the way things are shaping up next year, is dramatically overestimating their skills.

And there's a simple way to prove it. Post your predictions for where the free agent and rookie skill guys wind up, that change teams. Not even their numbers, just their team, next season. Leaving out players that re-sign, no one would hit 10% accuracy. Guaranteed.

You realize you still get points for players even if they go to a different team than the one you thought they'd go to, right? You don't have to predict exactly where everyone will land in order to start them.

I've done some early drafts, and in my mind, it just places a greater emphasis on talent evaluation rather than situation evaluation. You don't know where Vincent Jackson is going to land, so it becomes much more important to figure out exactly how good you think he is so you can draft accordingly. It also rewards players with much better risk management skills- knowing when it's time to stop chasing mediocre players in mediocre situations and start rolling the dice on guys like Peyton Manning or the rookies is a very important skill. It makes for a very interesting change of pace, and while you might say it increases the role of luck, I'd say it just emphasizes a different set of skills.

how does Graham go over Gronkowski? Because Brady is older than Brees?

Pretty ridiculous that anyone in any league worth their salt would be drafting already. Too much unknown like this thing called the NFL draft. At the very earliest start up drafts should be starting in May.

The unknown is the exact reason it's fun to draft early. Once it's all spelled out then any joe schmo can draft well.

I don't care how smart anyone thinks they are, drafting before free agency and the draft is dumb. Free agency and the draft is completely a mystery to everyone, and no one can predict either with anything close to accuracy.

It's not "dumb" to draft earlier, it's just a different kind of draft with less information available on the players.

Fair enough. 'Dumb' is a bit harsh.

I look at it this way: In a redraft, in August, after everyone has ALL the info, and any schmo can supposedly draft a good team, we all still don't know as much as we think we do, and make mistakes. And that's after we know where the rookies went, and the free agents went. A dynasty draft? Where mistakes follow you for years? And you are going to pick players with no idea where they are going? I don't see the upside.

You are actually increasing the luck factor, not diminishing it. The smarter FF player, which we all think we are, is at a disadvantage right now, because we don't know where any player is going to be. Vincent Jackson? Michael Bush? People think they have a clue where to slot these guys? Educated guess? Ha! What 'educated'? Where would Sidney Rice have gone last January, when no one knew where he was going, vs. August, when we knew it was going to be Tarvaris throwing him the ball. There was no inkling that he was thinking about Seattle, there was no info for the 'better, smarter' owner to know. You were drafting a guy, in dynasty, and hoping he'd go to a good situation.

Anyone thinking they have an advantage over anyone in January, because they have more of a handle on the way things are shaping up next year, is dramatically overestimating their skills.

And there's a simple way to prove it. Post your predictions for where the free agent and rookie skill guys wind up, that change teams. Not even their numbers, just their team, next season. Leaving out players that re-sign, no one would hit 10% accuracy. Guaranteed.

I completely disagree with your argument here. Maybe luck does play a bit more of a role on one individual pick, but it really boils down to accounting for as many variables as possible and playing the odds.

If you're going to draft a FA WR, whether it is Wes Welker, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, Desean Jackson, Reggie Wayne, etc. you are weighing the odds of them staying with their current team vs. leaving and taking into account how that impacts their value. I think Wes' chances of staying with the Pats are much higher than Wayne's chances of staying with the Colts and I factor that into my valuation of each player.

Do the Saints have enough money to re-sign Colston (and Brees and Nicks)? If not, how much does leaving the most prolific passing offense in the league hurt his value? If I think there's a 75% chance he stays, he has more value to me than if I think there's only a 25% chance he stays.

Simply put, not knowing something 100% or being able to predict complete accuracy does not mean that its a total crap shoot. If I can predict the movement of some of these important players at say a 75% rate and my opponents can only do so at a 40% rate, I have a competitive advantage in making draft picks.

You use VJax as an example. And I think he is sliding in our draft b/c of the uncertainty. Whereas arguably if he was under contract and there was less uncertainty regarding his future, maybe he would not fall so far. It all factors in.

Does it matter when you do a dynasty. Information changes what. If I drafted last August for a new league, I would after year 1 be still looking at the same complications that this new league is looking at with FA and draft. Dynasty can be done anytime because things change year to year anyways so much. Are you just playing for one year when you draft than. I doubt it.

I would be concerned about drafting players still engaged in this season's playoffs getting a serious injury to could carry forward into the 2012 season. Would be a terrible loss if you draft Ray Rice and he goes down with an ACL or achilles.

Does it matter when you do a dynasty. Information changes what. If I drafted last August for a new league, I would after year 1 be still looking at the same complications that this new league is looking at with FA and draft. Dynasty can be done anytime because things change year to year anyways so much. Are you just playing for one year when you draft than. I doubt it.

Hell yes! At least it does to me. Information changes everything IMO. The later the draft the less unknown variables I have to deal with.

I even prefer rookie drafts to be later rather than earlier as in back-to-back years in one league I drafted Ben Tate and Ryan Williams which were wasted 1st round picks before the season started (even in Dynasty that was way overpaying for them in retrospect). The less information you have, the more it is a crapshoot (unless you can predict the future and I haven't seen anybody in Dynasty leagues yet that can do that on a consistent basis).

QUOTE (Marvin @ Apr 25, 2012 12:45 AM)

squistion is going to come in here and start reporting people. Then you'll really be sorry.

I am doing a dynasty draft right now for a startup league and I'm really enjoying it. I think that the variables that are brought in at this point make things interesting and cause you to weigh the risks/rewards of going with a free agent player.

In our league, we did an auction for the first 5 rounds and a snake for the remaining draft. We will have a rookie draft after the NFL draft, and are able to bid/draft spots in that draft, so it adds another dimension.

With a $200 budget for your five players, here are the players that went (note that we have a QB flex position and tight ends get double yardage, so they both have inflated values)

Sorry they aren't in order, there wasn't an easy list to grab. Obviously there were some steals from the end of the auction, as people were running low on money or had all of their money devoted to other picks. My picks are in bold.

I am doing a dynasty draft right now for a startup league and I'm really enjoying it. I think that the variables that are brought in at this point make things interesting and cause you to weigh the risks/rewards of going with a free agent player.

In our league, we did an auction for the first 5 rounds and a snake for the remaining draft. We will have a rookie draft after the NFL draft, and are able to bid/draft spots in that draft, so it adds another dimension.

With a $200 budget for your five players, here are the players that went (note that we have a QB flex position and tight ends get double yardage, so they both have inflated values)

Sorry they aren't in order, there wasn't an easy list to grab. Obviously there were some steals from the end of the auction, as people were running low on money or had all of their money devoted to other picks. My picks are in bold.

I don't find that so astonishing. He's a good player in a good situation, but we may have just seen his career year. Alot of his big plays seemed a little flukey and he isn't a physically imposing player. I'm not saying he's worthless or will not be good going forward, but personally I would likely pass on him within the first three rounds as well.

I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. ~ Frank Sinatra

I don't find that so astonishing. He's a good player in a good situation, but we may have just seen his career year. Alot of his big plays seemed a little flukey and he isn't a physically imposing player. I'm not saying he's worthless or will not be good going forward, but personally I would likely pass on him within the first three rounds as well.

I disagree with the "fluky" aspect to his big plays. If you watch him, he has one of the best juke moves I've seen -- here's an example from his 99 yarder -
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Gwj90GMIeu8
Watch the move he makes to make the defender miss right after the catch. He does that all the time and it allows him amazing yards after the catch.
He has great hands, fights for the ball, and has terrific vision. I think he's great and he will be a very good fantasy receiver for the next few years.

I am doing a dynasty draft right now for a startup league and I'm really enjoying it. I think that the variables that are brought in at this point make things interesting and cause you to weigh the risks/rewards of going with a free agent player.

In our league, we did an auction for the first 5 rounds and a snake for the remaining draft. We will have a rookie draft after the NFL draft, and are able to bid/draft spots in that draft, so it adds another dimension.

With a $200 budget for your five players, here are the players that went (note that we have a QB flex position and tight ends get double yardage, so they both have inflated values)

Sorry they aren't in order, there wasn't an easy list to grab. Obviously there were some steals from the end of the auction, as people were running low on money or had all of their money devoted to other picks. My picks are in bold.

IMO this is why dynasty leagues with an auction start don't last long. Maybe it's just the ones I have been in, but the mismanagement of auction money combined with when a players name is called makes for some very lopsided teams.
There are so many things that caught my eye on this draft, but just to name a few:
Cruz goes for $10 more than Nicks?
Andre Johnson for $1?????
Jamal Charles goes for $5 more than the 1.01 rookie pick?
Demarco Murray $1?
4th overall rookie pick $2??

I understand that part of the fun of an auction draft is getting a good deal on a player by using strategy, but I would never do a dynasty with an auction draft again. Unless you have guys that are fully committed and willing to throw away their entry fee every year just for fun.

I don't find that so astonishing. He's a good player in a good situation, but we may have just seen his career year. Alot of his big plays seemed a little flukey and he isn't a physically imposing player. I'm not saying he's worthless or will not be good going forward, but personally I would likely pass on him within the first three rounds as well.

I disagree with the "fluky" aspect to his big plays. If you watch him, he has one of the best juke moves I've seen -- here's an example from his 99 yarder -
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Gwj90GMIeu8
Watch the move he makes to make the defender miss right after the catch. He does that all the time and it allows him amazing yards after the catch.
He has great hands, fights for the ball, and has terrific vision. I think he's great and he will be a very good fantasy receiver for the next few years.

I don't want to take too much away from Cruz but I see that play as Cromartie blowing an easy tackle (right at the begining, where you see a juke move) and Eric Smith taking a terrible angle later on where most safeties would have knocked him out of bounds. There were a few other plays as well - I watch the Giants each week since I'm in the market. By no means am I saying there's nothing to like about him, because while I don't agree he has great hands, he does have great lateral movement and quickness.
I also don't mean to imply that he'll never be any good again - because I'd be happy to have him on my team - I just don't think one season (where Nicks and Manningham missed a fair amount of time) automatically vaults him into the first three rounds. I'm not even saying it would be a huge mistake if some one paid that price, but I don't think it was so astonishing that no one was willing to.

I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. ~ Frank Sinatra

Here is the link to our draft, just started round 11:
http://football27.my...ns?L=53026&O=17
As mentioned above, its PPR with QB/RB/RB/WR/WR/TE/Flex/Flex with one of the flex spots QB eligible.
I'm relatively happy with my draft so far though I just missed out on a couple targets and gave up too much value in a couple trades. My strategy going in was to go young while still hopefully positioning myself to compete in year 1 (or at least be in position to be a playoff team with 1 or 2 "win now" trades during the season). Position-wise, I wanted to lock up 2 good young QBs and a good young TE that I could pencil into the starting lineup long term and then focus early picks on RB and later picks on WR to build depth at those positions.
My team so far is:
QB- Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan
RB- Trent Richardson, Jamaal Charles, Ahmad Bradshaw, Reggie Bush, Doug Martin, Jahvid Best
WR- Torrey Smith, Steve Smith (Car.), Austin Collie, Darrius Heyward-Bey
TE- Aaron Hernandez
Obviously left myself pretty weak at WR, but its a start 2, so I'm hoping to at least get by. I like Torrey Smith a lot as he was a top 20 WR in the 2nd half of the year and he reminds me of Mike Wallace. Steve Smith is just a 1 year stop gap. I'll likely add at least 1 or 2 more guys on the Collie/DHB tier as the draft progresses.

Here is the link to our draft, just started round 11:
http://football27.my...ns?L=53026&O=17
As mentioned above, its PPR with QB/RB/RB/WR/WR/TE/Flex/Flex with one of the flex spots QB eligible.

high school player in the top 100.

Yeah, that owner has gone pretty much exclusively with college devy picks (total of 20 overall for the league), rookies from the upcoming draft, and trade downs for future draft picks. I wouldn't have the patience for it and I think he's overdrafted some of the guys. But I guess its possible he'll have a lot of talent/trade ammo in a couple years. It's an interesting roster to say the least and he certainly should be strong at WR if even half of his picks pan out.

I am doing a dynasty draft right now for a startup league and I'm really enjoying it. I think that the variables that are brought in at this point make things interesting and cause you to weigh the risks/rewards of going with a free agent player.

In our league, we did an auction for the first 5 rounds and a snake for the remaining draft. We will have a rookie draft after the NFL draft, and are able to bid/draft spots in that draft, so it adds another dimension.

With a $200 budget for your five players, here are the players that went (note that we have a QB flex position and tight ends get double yardage, so they both have inflated values)

Sorry they aren't in order, there wasn't an easy list to grab. Obviously there were some steals from the end of the auction, as people were running low on money or had all of their money devoted to other picks. My picks are in bold.

IMO this is why dynasty leagues with an auction start don't last long. Maybe it's just the ones I have been in, but the mismanagement of auction money combined with when a players name is called makes for some very lopsided teams.
There are so many things that caught my eye on this draft, but just to name a few:
Cruz goes for $10 more than Nicks?
Andre Johnson for $1?????
Jamal Charles goes for $5 more than the 1.01 rookie pick?
Demarco Murray $1?
4th overall rookie pick $2??

I understand that part of the fun of an auction draft is getting a good deal on a player by using strategy, but I would never do a dynasty with an auction draft again. Unless you have guys that are fully committed and willing to throw away their entry fee every year just for fun.

To each their own, I will never do a snake draft again for the intial year of a dynasty as I don't like having a shot at every player. IMO, the guys lucky enough to draw the top 2~4 picks have a huge advantage and can reap enormous value trading down. For every owner I have seen overspend in an auction, I have seen twice as many trade happy guys hugely overpay to move up in an initial snake draft. Or guys who trade away their future 1st's for an extra 7th rounder or a bump up at some slot thinking they will rock year 1 and then their teams bust.

Either way, this hybrid auction/draft is a bad example to judge auctions by.

That league (mostly Rusty) went a little crazy with the rookies and devs.
I like what broncofan did.

I originally traded down for a couple extra 8th/9th rounders thinking I would take a couple devys in that range, but they went a few rounds earlier than I expected. I thought Keenan Allen and Sammy Watkins were guys that might be available in that area, but in hindsight they are probably worth a bit more than that.
It's a bit of a conundrum because future rookie picks are so devalued due to the devys that you need to build that base of young talent now. But on the other hand, all the devys and rookies pushed some talented older guys down the draft board pretty far.

I am doing a dynasty draft right now for a startup league and I'm really enjoying it. I think that the variables that are brought in at this point make things interesting and cause you to weigh the risks/rewards of going with a free agent player.

In our league, we did an auction for the first 5 rounds and a snake for the remaining draft. We will have a rookie draft after the NFL draft, and are able to bid/draft spots in that draft, so it adds another dimension.

With a $200 budget for your five players, here are the players that went (note that we have a QB flex position and tight ends get double yardage, so they both have inflated values)

Sorry they aren't in order, there wasn't an easy list to grab. Obviously there were some steals from the end of the auction, as people were running low on money or had all of their money devoted to other picks. My picks are in bold.

IMO this is why dynasty leagues with an auction start don't last long. Maybe it's just the ones I have been in, but the mismanagement of auction money combined with when a players name is called makes for some very lopsided teams.
There are so many things that caught my eye on this draft, but just to name a few:
Cruz goes for $10 more than Nicks?
Andre Johnson for $1?????
Jamal Charles goes for $5 more than the 1.01 rookie pick?
Demarco Murray $1?
4th overall rookie pick $2??

I understand that part of the fun of an auction draft is getting a good deal on a player by using strategy, but I would never do a dynasty with an auction draft again. Unless you have guys that are fully committed and willing to throw away their entry fee every year just for fun.

To each their own, I will never do a snake draft again for the intial year of a dynasty as I don't like having a shot at every player. IMO, the guys lucky enough to draw the top 2~4 picks have a huge advantage and can reap enormous value trading down. For every owner I have seen overspend in an auction, I have seen twice as many trade happy guys hugely overpay to move up in an initial snake draft. Or guys who trade away their future 1st's for an extra 7th rounder or a bump up at some slot thinking they will rock year 1 and then their teams bust.

Either way, this hybrid auction/draft is a bad example to judge auctions by.

At first blush, some of those prices look crazy, but it makes a lot more sense in context. If I am understanding it correctly, you are only bidding on 48 players total and nobody can get more than 4 of them, so basically late 4th round guys should be going for $1 or so because they are have minimal value in this context. You then start out with a normal snake style draft in the 5th round and there's no more bidding.

It seems like the criticism is possibly coming from viewing this more like a normal full auction where kickers and defenses go for $1 and top 48 guys all go for much mroe. In actuality, with only the 48 players to bid on, it makes complete sense that the 5th rookie pick, Mendy, Demarco Murray, etc. only go for $1. I'm not even sure any of those belong in the top 48, so I wouldn't bid more than $1 for them either. AJ for $1 was great value though. Even in a QB/TE heavy format, he should still be a late 3rd.

That league (mostly Rusty) went a little crazy with the rookies and devs.
I like what broncofan did.

I originally traded down for a couple extra 8th/9th rounders thinking I would take a couple devys in that range, but they went a few rounds earlier than I expected. I thought Keenan Allen and Sammy Watkins were guys that might be available in that area, but in hindsight they are probably worth a bit more than that.
It's a bit of a conundrum because future rookie picks are so devalued due to the devys that you need to build that base of young talent now. But on the other hand, all the devys and rookies pushed some talented older guys down the draft board pretty far.

I would love to see some more of these start up drafts posted because it helps guage the value of veterand vs. rookie picks. This one does seem skewed a bit with how heavy some went with rookies and developmental players.

I will second the idea that the owners that draw the top spots in a dynasty start-up have an advantage. I would be interested in a full auction start-up and after the initial teams are set, then it proceeds like a usual league (maybe auction rookie drafts each year where you get more money the worse your record and you can trade future money).
I think in start-1 QB leagues there is a pretty nice 1st tier (top-5) with McCoy, Foster, Rice, Rodgers, Calvin. After that, there are tons of players you can make cases for in the 1st round. Also, those picks can demand a hefty sum via trade in a start-up draft, so even if you don't want to pick one of those 5, trading down is also an edge in value.

I am doing a dynasty draft right now for a startup league and I'm really enjoying it. I think that the variables that are brought in at this point make things interesting and cause you to weigh the risks/rewards of going with a free agent player.

In our league, we did an auction for the first 5 rounds and a snake for the remaining draft. We will have a rookie draft after the NFL draft, and are able to bid/draft spots in that draft, so it adds another dimension.

With a $200 budget for your five players, here are the players that went (note that we have a QB flex position and tight ends get double yardage, so they both have inflated values)

Sorry they aren't in order, there wasn't an easy list to grab. Obviously there were some steals from the end of the auction, as people were running low on money or had all of their money devoted to other picks. My picks are in bold.

IMO this is why dynasty leagues with an auction start don't last long. Maybe it's just the ones I have been in, but the mismanagement of auction money combined with when a players name is called makes for some very lopsided teams.
There are so many things that caught my eye on this draft, but just to name a few:
Cruz goes for $10 more than Nicks?
Andre Johnson for $1?????
Jamal Charles goes for $5 more than the 1.01 rookie pick?
Demarco Murray $1?
4th overall rookie pick $2??

I understand that part of the fun of an auction draft is getting a good deal on a player by using strategy, but I would never do a dynasty with an auction draft again. Unless you have guys that are fully committed and willing to throw away their entry fee every year just for fun.

To each their own, I will never do a snake draft again for the intial year of a dynasty as I don't like having a shot at every player. IMO, the guys lucky enough to draw the top 2~4 picks have a huge advantage and can reap enormous value trading down. For every owner I have seen overspend in an auction, I have seen twice as many trade happy guys hugely overpay to move up in an initial snake draft. Or guys who trade away their future 1st's for an extra 7th rounder or a bump up at some slot thinking they will rock year 1 and then their teams bust.

Either way, this hybrid auction/draft is a bad example to judge auctions by.

At first blush, some of those prices look crazy, but it makes a lot more sense in context. If I am understanding it correctly, you are only bidding on 48 players total and nobody can get more than 4 of them, so basically late 4th round guys should be going for $1 or so because they are have minimal value in this context. You then start out with a normal snake style draft in the 5th round and there's no more bidding.

It seems like the criticism is possibly coming from viewing this more like a normal full auction where kickers and defenses go for $1 and top 48 guys all go for much mroe. In actuality, with only the 48 players to bid on, it makes complete sense that the 5th rookie pick, Mendy, Demarco Murray, etc. only go for $1. I'm not even sure any of those belong in the top 48, so I wouldn't bid more than $1 for them either. AJ for $1 was great value though. Even in a QB/TE heavy format, he should still be a late 3rd.

Correct. Most of the top tier players were put up early, but some kind of slipped through and weren't put up for auction until the very end...allowing the last few people with cash to grab them. Andre Johnson, for instance, was the final bid by a person that had $51 remaining. No one could outbid him because he had the most money available, so no one bothered to try to run up the price on him. One thing that made it difficult was that if you hd 5 bids out there, you were blocked from bidding on another auction until you were outbid on something. Just like any auction, a number of good players were had cheap when people were running out of money or didn't have bids available...and a few players went for much more than they should have when bidding wars got started.

In the end, most teams got a pretty good starting group. Keep in mind, the auction was only 5 rounds, so there were a ton of good players who were still available in the draft portion. Every player, for the most part, was worthy of a top 4-5 round pick in a dynasty...so even the people who did poorly still ended up with good players.

Honestly, I am having more fun with this auction/draft than I have in previous formats over the years.

I am doing a dynasty draft right now for a startup league and I'm really enjoying it. I think that the variables that are brought in at this point make things interesting and cause you to weigh the risks/rewards of going with a free agent player.

In our league, we did an auction for the first 5 rounds and a snake for the remaining draft. We will have a rookie draft after the NFL draft, and are able to bid/draft spots in that draft, so it adds another dimension.

With a $200 budget for your five players, here are the players that went (note that we have a QB flex position and tight ends get double yardage, so they both have inflated values)

Sorry they aren't in order, there wasn't an easy list to grab. Obviously there were some steals from the end of the auction, as people were running low on money or had all of their money devoted to other picks. My picks are in bold.

IMO this is why dynasty leagues with an auction start don't last long. Maybe it's just the ones I have been in, but the mismanagement of auction money combined with when a players name is called makes for some very lopsided teams.
There are so many things that caught my eye on this draft, but just to name a few:
Cruz goes for $10 more than Nicks?
Andre Johnson for $1?????
Jamal Charles goes for $5 more than the 1.01 rookie pick?
Demarco Murray $1?
4th overall rookie pick $2??

I understand that part of the fun of an auction draft is getting a good deal on a player by using strategy, but I would never do a dynasty with an auction draft again. Unless you have guys that are fully committed and willing to throw away their entry fee every year just for fun.

To each their own, I will never do a snake draft again for the intial year of a dynasty as I don't like having a shot at every player. IMO, the guys lucky enough to draw the top 2~4 picks have a huge advantage and can reap enormous value trading down. For every owner I have seen overspend in an auction, I have seen twice as many trade happy guys hugely overpay to move up in an initial snake draft. Or guys who trade away their future 1st's for an extra 7th rounder or a bump up at some slot thinking they will rock year 1 and then their teams bust.

Either way, this hybrid auction/draft is a bad example to judge auctions by.

At first blush, some of those prices look crazy, but it makes a lot more sense in context. If I am understanding it correctly, you are only bidding on 48 players total and nobody can get more than 4 of them, so basically late 4th round guys should be going for $1 or so because they are have minimal value in this context. You then start out with a normal snake style draft in the 5th round and there's no more bidding.

It seems like the criticism is possibly coming from viewing this more like a normal full auction where kickers and defenses go for $1 and top 48 guys all go for much mroe. In actuality, with only the 48 players to bid on, it makes complete sense that the 5th rookie pick, Mendy, Demarco Murray, etc. only go for $1. I'm not even sure any of those belong in the top 48, so I wouldn't bid more than $1 for them either. AJ for $1 was great value though. Even in a QB/TE heavy format, he should still be a late 3rd.

Correct. Most of the top tier players were put up early, but some kind of slipped through and weren't put up for auction until the very end...allowing the last few people with cash to grab them. Andre Johnson, for instance, was the final bid by a person that had $51 remaining. No one could outbid him because he had the most money available, so no one bothered to try to run up the price on him. One thing that made it difficult was that if you hd 5 bids out there, you were blocked from bidding on another auction until you were outbid on something. Just like any auction, a number of good players were had cheap when people were running out of money or didn't have bids available...and a few players went for much more than they should have when bidding wars got started.

In the end, most teams got a pretty good starting group. Keep in mind, the auction was only 5 rounds, so there were a ton of good players who were still available in the draft portion. Every player, for the most part, was worthy of a top 4-5 round pick in a dynasty...so even the people who did poorly still ended up with good players.

Honestly, I am having more fun with this auction/draft than I have in previous formats over the years.

Well said (typed) both of you. I didn't mean to give the impression I was poo-pooing all over that hybrid style, I should have been more clear. I mainly meant as described that trying to use the dollar amounts (especially for the last few players bid on) wasn't really an accruate representation of what those players would go for if it was a full style auction. A hybrid draft like that would definitely make for some added complexity/strategy that could be fun for some folks.

Thanks for posting. Interesting to see the same guy take the 1.1/1.2 at the turn there. About right for Richardson (I assume), but way early for the 1.2 when guys like Rodgers/Newton/Wallace/Bryant/Charles/MJD, etc. were still on the board. Also, AJ Green going 6 spots higher than Julio was interesting.
1.1/1.2 guy following up with CJ/Stafford makes me think he wants Blackmon...he must be quite high on him. Same guy also went on to take Hernandez and 1.4...interesting.
So he went:
1.1
1.2
Chris Johnson
Stafford
Hernandez
1.4
DHB
Jon Baldwin
1.12
Ryan Williams
Jake Locker
2.1
Robert Meachem
Evan Royster (rather than 2.4, which went right after....interesting)
I don't think I've seen someone invest so heavily in one rookie draft in a startup before. Wow. Looking weak at WR.

Edited by ConnSKINS26, 30 January 2012 - 11:11 PM.

When your opinion matters, I'll inform you.

Hahaha, read my posts bro. I'm one of the smarter Fantasy Player on these boards.

Don't know how Stafford makes it to round 4....1.09 in my startup from last week. The 1.01 rookie pick almost made it to the 3rd round (2.10) as well...probably lower than 95% of startups right now.

Obviously that league drastically devalued all QBs as a whole. Rodgers and Cam didn't go until the second, and Brees was picked right between Darren Sproles and Marques Colston. Makes me wonder if the league doesn't have any funky scoring rules.